Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The sports editor for the grand Port Harrald Tom Miller, Morning.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Tom, Good morning, guys, Good morning.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Yeah, are you on location again?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yeah, I'm in downtown GF. Ready to start my day.
As soon as we're done chat, it's.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Going to be busy for you somehow, somehow.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yeah, I got to kick out some high school spring
previews before their postseason wrap ups. Here. Spring spring comes
at you fast.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Yeah, it comes flying at you. And of course you've
got the end of spring ball for you and d
football this evening, right, yep, yep.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I was on one to see the team go a
little bit more live and have the lights just a
little bit brighter. That kind of starts to separate guys
in my eyes, just a little bit more. They get
tested and you start to understand some some depth chart questions.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
So you'll be what will you be watching? What are
you anticipating?
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Well, I mean, the maybe the obvious one, I guess
is that quarterback. You know, there's still so much to
be sorted out there between Javance, Jerry Kaminski and Jack Sulik.
You know we won't until the fall. We won't get
to see Simon Rumfow try to uh retain his starting role.
But uh, those three guys have a lot to shake out,
(01:27):
and there's a lot of competition in a lot of spots. Uh,
you know, we need to we need to start to
learning some more things about the wide receivers, you know. Uh,
tight tight end is gonna be a competitive spot.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
You know.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I'm sure they're going to add depth at linebacker and
defensive line. So those guys are gonna try to prove
they're worth one more time here. Uh. In the spring,
there's a there's a lot of spots up for grabs
because und appears to be pretty active again in the
in the transfer portal.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Game, is there enough roster room to to navigate that?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
That's a big question. I don't think there's a ton
of wiggle room right now. I think if you're a
it might be a little cold hearted, but you probably
wanted to see more in the transfer portal. I believe
right now there's four. You know, you might see guys injury, retire,
you might see guys graduate and move on. But you know,
(02:25):
when you do the simple math between what's at spring
and what was signed in the in the signing class
of twenty twenty five, there's not a ton of wiggle
room right now. And they need wiggle room because they
they need help, any help at linebacker, defensive tackle, and
I'm sure they'd like to take a swing at tight end,
(02:46):
running back, and wide receiver.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Well yeah, there's still looking and.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
They don't have a lot of wiggle room, like you mentioned,
to do that right now.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Well there's only hours to get into the portal basically
right now with the game scheduled today. Do you think
that was a mistake to schedule it right on the
closing moments of the portal.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
I'm sure it was a factor that was considered. You know,
did they prefer to have their staff more in place
at the beginning?
Speaker 1 (03:19):
You know?
Speaker 2 (03:20):
The public the way they publicly pitched it was more
about how they wanted to establish the culture and get
the strength and conditioning piece all in place, and I'm
sure that played a factor. I just think there were
probably more factors too, about making sure everybody was on
the same page with what they wanted to install, with
(03:41):
with who was going to be the voices in the room.
And yeah, I don't think it's ideal, but I think
they also knew how this calendar was going to play
out the entire time. So if you wanted to get
your point across, you certainly needed to get it across
by now. And so so yeah, it's gonna be tough
(04:05):
decisions ahead for sure.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Well, there was two ways that a lot of programs
were looking at this whole the portal end date of today.
Some of them were like, well, we want to be
have room basically to maneuver, so probably it's better to
be done and complete, and so, you know, the messaging,
whether it's hard conversations or whatever it might be, you know,
(04:29):
those can take place well before the portal closes. But
there was also a lot of coaches around the country
that were basically targeting April twenty fifth, and that's when
if we're gonna have a spring game or we're gonna
have a final practice. We don't want enough, we don't
want a lot of people to have a lot of
time to look at it, you know. So a lot
of them were either exitying their spring game or going
(04:51):
right up to the date, kind of like this one here.
So there was there was a thought process behind that too.
I wonder maybe now if the people a kind of like, well,
maybe that wasn't the best idea, so to speak. It's interesting.
It's a I don't know what the right answer is.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yeah, no, I I hear what you're saying. You know,
there's certainly depending on what where your program is at.
You know, you might be at a place, yeah, where
you want to discourage transfer portal entries. You know, the
portal works in many different ways, and for some programs,
(05:28):
you know, you're hoping to get guys in there, you're
for some programs you're not hoping to have guys in there,
you know, you for you and D you know, it's
you'd like some guys in there, but not the wrong ones.
So you know, it's it's been twofold. I think they'd
probably prefer to have more guys in the portal. But
there's also an element of at least the wrong guys
(05:50):
aren't in the portal right now, right, I think that's
that's just as if not more important.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Good tim go ahead, Well, yeah, the portal thing are
you talking about? They wish more of their guys were
in there, or they wish there was more guys in
there that they could choose from.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
No that he was saying like that, they need more
room on their rosters, so they certain more they need
more guys to probably to find a way in. You know,
That's that's what he said.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
So yeah, yeah, you know, I think there's tons of
available talent and and you've seen them on social media
go after some of these guys. They just got a
commitment from a tight end from Wyoming who's a Minnesota prep.
They need help a tight end. They lost Quincy Vaughn
and Jaden Norby, who who ate up all their their
(06:37):
reps and the catches a year ago and probably haven't
had enough production during springball from the tight end spot.
But that's a young kid too, coming from Wyoming, so
I'm not sure what the expectations are in terms of
immediate help there with him, but probably a good snag
is a kid who went to Wyoming by spurning offers
(06:58):
from North Dakota in South Kota State, and I'm not
sure who else offer him out of high school, but
he had a lot of Missouri Valley interests.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Do you think this is an offense that really wants
to utilize the tight end though.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Well, I think that's a conversation. You know that that's
that's certainly been a trend that the tight end hasn't
been a major piece in recent years. But we are
talking now about multiple coordinators, multiple quarterbacks, many tight end options.
You know, I think if you uh talk to certain
people during this stretch, they might say that we that
(07:32):
North Dakota just hasn't had, you know, maybe the right
difference maker in that spot. When when Adams Zavalney was
at his peak, he was he was utilized a lot
in that role. Yeah, So I think I think some
of it comes down to, uh having the guy who
can go make your plays, and uh, you know to
some extent that sometimes they haven't had that guy now
(07:53):
a year ago. You know, there's also a case that
maybe uh Jaden Norby and Quizyvon could have been utilized more.
Was that a product of a shorter quarterback and and
having some of those underneath throws being a little tougher
for him to complete? You know, I think it's a
pretty complicated answer.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Hmm. Interesting. I was gonna say that it will a
tight end that come comes in, will will that tight
end be running the QB sneak?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Basically, for for short yardage situations.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
There are gonna be some third and ones and fourth
and ones in twenty twenty five where a lot of
us look at each other and say, boy, they miss
Quincy Yvonne at this time. You know, the easy button
for three years or whatever it was was taken for granted,
and uh, you know they're gonna they're gonna miss that role. Uh,
(08:49):
Quincy Quincy von made third and one and fourth and one.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
A gimme what's Quincy von Uh? How do you think
he'll go in the CFL draft?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
That's a good question. I've looked at a couple of
mock drafts and you know, if if they're ranking mock
drafts out to like thirty thirty five guys, he kind
of seems to be in that just missed the cut
of this mock draft list. So you know, is he
is he a fourth round guy there? I think it
(09:20):
comes down to fit. Like Canadian teams often use change
of pace quarterback and perhaps he can fill that role.
You know, there's not a lot of big, big personnel
in the CFL, so that hurts him a little bit
in terms of like you don't see fullbacks multiple tight ends.
(09:41):
That's just not the sets they run. But if somebody
she's an offensive fit for him, there's a ton of
value in him being a Canadian and having a quarterback
background that that that somebody might snag him there. But
I would guess he might be a mid to late
round pick in the CF draft. Uh what is that
(10:01):
Tuesday here?
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Yeah, I think it is Tuesday. And and of course, uh,
maybe maybe Bo Belquist will get a shot up there
in some way shape or for him maybe, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Yeah, Bo's gonna be on NFL, you know, free agent
right after the draft. Watch will be something I'll keep
an eye on. But those those contracts, obviously are are
significant long shots. So yeah, you know, uh, he'll he'll
get it. He's gonna hope to get a shot in
(10:34):
an NFL camp. But perhaps there's a little bit more
realistic shot there in the CFL maybe well.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
I mean, I mean, maybe he's the next Western dressler
up there. I mean, the guy is a Hall of
Famer up there. Basically I could see that happening.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
You never know who in this who who who fits
that CFL style a little bit more. I mean, yeah,
I went to I went to said Evan Holm was
obviously going to be a CFL All star. Yeah, what
about what about what about Tryve Rady?
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Uh in Ottawa. Yeah, he put together a great CFL
career and uh, you know he he was. I wouldn't
say he was a superstar in Grand Pork obviously a great,
a great piece, but uh yeah, he's carved him He's
carved himself out in a nice career in the CFL
as well.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Finally here, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
I was going to say, I think Quincy, with his versatility,
that would draw a lot of attention, I would think,
But what do I know?
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Yeah, he's he's got some some Chris Chris Trevler to him,
the quarterback out of South Dakota who Winnipeg has used
as a change of pace quarterback. And I know a
lot of teams have done some of that. Dakota Pro
Cup out of Montana State has done that some in
the CFL. So it's it's it's in the playbooks, so
(11:55):
uh there's always a shot that way.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
The rosters for men's and women's basketball, are those squared away?
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Now? Boy?
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Uh good question. Women's basketball has added fast and furious.
You know, I think there's still room on the men's side.
Paul Saylor tweeted out his his bat signal, meaning they
got a commitment from somebody. I'm I'm hearing it's a
big man from the mid major Division one level, So that, uh,
(12:24):
that should be a good addition. But I think there's
probably still room on the men's side for editions. Uh.
The women's side is gonna get pretty full here. They
don't know exactly how the math is playing out, but
I got to imagine they're they're pretty close to full.
You know. They've they've added some shooters, added some size,
a couple of good dropped down options from Kansas State
(12:45):
and Arizona State, and then obviously the big one locally
is is adding Mackenzie Hughes from Mayville State because they
need somebody to handle the handle the basketball.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
So that's that's probably gonna have to be Mackenzie Hughes's
role as she makes the leap from the NAI to
Division one.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
All right, Tom, we appreciate this. We'll see you out
there tonight for the spring showcase for North Dakota Football.
Appreciate you diving into some of the details in regards
to you and d football and men's and women's basketball.
Appreciate it. Have a great weekend and we'll talk to
you tonight.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Sounds good. Have a good day, guys.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
There goes Tom Miller, sports editor of the Grand Forks Herald,